IOS 9.3.3 sync issues

So now it's time for a consultation with the Minister for Home Affairs !

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LOL, so you have one of those too? Good luck Rose and let us know what the outcome is. ;D

I have been reading this post with interest for a while and Rosemac2 you really are between a rock and a hard place. Apples policy of preventing retrograde instals of OSX and now iOS has has been increasingly problematic for many users, removing previous OSX versions after the release of the next and now no longer signing previous iOS.
So I would like to propose another solution. I recently downloaded iMazing iMazing - Tech Specs you will see on this site that it is compatible with OSX 10.7 but without further enquiry I cannot say if it would be compatible with 10.6.8 but it's predecessor DiskAid most certainly is. I found DiskAid 5.3.6 Mac version here softarchive.la/blogs/share2web/diskaid_mac_osx.1024601.html (dead link removed) but cannot say if it would be compatible with iOS 9.3.3. I would also encourage care downloading from sites like this. I would be more confident contacting the developers of iMazing and asking if DiskAid for OSX 10.6.8 is still available from them.
If you can get the compatible version it will do everything that iTunes does (and more) as far as backing up, restoring and moving files between your computer and iPad.

I agree with Rod. People generally replace their phones at the end of the contract period. Part of the appeal of Apple computers is their longevity, so the fact that a perfectly serviceable computer is incapable of backing up a phone is unfortunate to say the least.

The suggestion from an Apple employee that you should use a PC must have Steve Jobs spinning in his grave. Unbelievable.

I should add in Apple's defence that Snow Leopard is a very old outdated OS, the iPhone was in its infancy at that time and an upgrade to 10.7 was expected to be a vast improvement with it's App Store availability instead of the old Software Update and early cloud features, so although many would say it was not as stable it was a foray into a whole new world of possibilities. I don't think it was unfair or unrealistic for Apple to expect people would want to move on especially with the App Store access with free updates and eventual free upgrades. I defend your decision to remain at Snow Leopard but you will appreciate that you are five operating systems behind and the fact that you can still upgrade to the current OS is pretty good. So most of what we can offer are stop gap measures to keep you going until the inevitable demise of your machines which I assume are at least five years old and nearing the end of their expected lifespan.

I think that Iclev's suggestion of using cloud backup on your iPad is a good one. Making it independent of your computers will offer more security for contacts, passwords and media than depending on a local backup to a five year old computer and when you eventually step up to a new machine syncing should be a breeze.

Lastly I should mention that it is possible to backup your iPad to another Mac running iTunes 12.4 if, for example, you have a family member with a Mac running the current or later OS with updated iTunes.

PS please ask us for instructions on this if you decide to try that option.